The Wine Cork Collector (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781595946270)

The ten stories in this collection concern people from a variety of backgrounds, and sometimes from past or future eras. As they struggle with challenges they meet, they often encounter conflicting values, requiring them to fashion standards for their actions. Limitations and weaknesses play their parts in this, but also the small successes that raise confidence in one's identity.

In one story, a suburban commuter builds a second life around midnight strolls in a loincloth. In another, a young teacher's outburst at work leads to a bizarre evening in her home. There's also the story of a paleontologist couple who must guard their discovery against a conniving mentor. Another features a violent episode, and its aftermath, evolving from an ordinary stop for lunch. Yet another story gives the account of an attempted bribe during a child abuse investigation. Five additional stories continue the interplay between people, interests, and forces both within and outside one's control.

While the characters have various degrees of success or failure, it's the awareness of what is right and what is possible that emerges as the central value. Chance and deception have their roles, but compassion and acceptance remain the greater forces.